A Whole New Mind

I am currently reading "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink and it is excellent! Pink is from D.C. and was a former speech writer for the likes of Al Gore. He has written business books too. His book is about how right brainers are going to take over the future in the 21st century in this high touch, high feeling, conceptual age of abundance. Um, that's pretty much what art teachers and artists have been saying all along. Anywho, he is doing a good job in his mission to convince parents, other teachers, administrators, and future college students that he's right.
Pink is by no means, some genius that just came up with this notion that right brainers will take over the future. He does however, come from a business perspective trying to show what businesses and employers want from their workers, problem solving creative individuals, and that's what makes all the difference. I think for so long the only back up art teachers had was to say art was a good form of self-expression, which it is, but I think it has been a struggle to convince people out there that there is more to it and art should be looked at as a core discipline. One author that I admire greatly is Charles Fowler who spent the better part of his life defending the arts and showing why it is relevent, relating art to raising the gross national product. However, we are now have backing in a different way, a more relevant way to our peers and bosses. Why you ask? because it's about money more than ever. The prettier something looks, the more people want to buy it and in today's world more and more people can afford it. The more people buy, the better off the economy is in this conceptual age. We don't need things today, we want things and in today's world we are able to get them. Employers are looking for creative individuals that will design, market and sell all the stuff for everyone to buy. All of this just makes the art teacher's job seem more relevant than ever. That's why his book has been swept up by millions of art teachers around the country.
At an inservice I watched a video of his speech to school administrators in our county. He's a fantastic speaker and just really makes his points well. My favorite quote was when Steve Jobs, the Apple megapower, was asked what he looks for in an employee, his response was "social skills and a good drawing portfolio." Need I say more. It's nice to finally have the backup of the business world. I remember my cousin once saying to me that I was crazy to go into art education and that I should go into computers. Guess I was right afterall.